Pepper hybrid SV9504PB

ABSTRACT

The invention provides seed and plants of pepper hybrid SV9504PB and the parent lines thereof. The invention thus relates to the plants, seeds and tissue cultures of pepper hybrid SV9504PB and the parent lines thereof, and to methods for producing a pepper plant produced by crossing such plants with themselves or with another pepper plant, such as a plant of another genotype. The invention further relates to seeds and plants produced by such crossing. The invention further relates to parts of such plants, including the fruit and gametes of such plants.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to the field of plant breeding and, morespecifically, to the development of pepper hybrid SV9504PB and theinbred pepper lines SBR-99-1268 and SBY-E710391.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The goal of vegetable breeding is to combine various desirable traits ina single variety/hybrid. Such desirable traits may include any traitdeemed beneficial by a grower and/or consumer, including greater yield,resistance to insects or disease, tolerance to environmental stress, andnutritional value.

Breeding techniques take advantage of a plant's method of pollination.There are two general methods of pollination: a plant self-pollinates ifpollen from one flower is transferred to the same or another flower ofthe same plant or plant variety. A plant cross-pollinates if pollencomes to it from a flower of a different plant variety.

Plants that have been self-pollinated and selected for type over manygenerations become homozygous at almost all gene loci and produce auniform population of true breeding progeny, a homozygous plant. A crossbetween two such homozygous plants of different genotypes produces auniform population of hybrid plants that are heterozygous for many geneloci. Conversely, a cross of two plants each heterozygous at a number ofloci produces a population of hybrid plants that differ genetically andare not uniform. The resulting non-uniformity makes performanceunpredictable.

The development of uniform varieties requires the development ofhomozygous inbred plants, the crossing of these inbred plants, and theevaluation of the crosses. Pedigree breeding and recurrent selection areexamples of breeding methods that have been used to develop inbredplants from breeding populations. Those breeding methods combine thegenetic backgrounds from two or more plants or various other broad-basedsources into breeding pools from which new lines and hybrids derivedtherefrom are developed by selfing and selection of desired phenotypes.The new lines and hybrids are evaluated to determine which of those havecommercial potential.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one aspect, the present invention provides a pepper plant of thehybrid designated SV9504PB, the pepper line SBR-99-1268 or pepper lineSBY-E710391. Also provided are pepper plants having all thephysiological and morphological characteristics of such a plant. Partsof these pepper plants are also provided, for example, including pollen,an ovule, scion, a rootstock, a fruit, and a cell of the plant.

In another aspect of the invention, a plant of pepper hybrid SV9504PBand/or pepper lines SBR-99-1268 and SBY-E710391 comprising an addedheritable trait is provided. The heritable trait may comprise a geneticlocus that is, for example, a dominant or recessive allele. In oneembodiment of the invention, a plant of pepper hybrid SV9504PB and/orpepper lines SBR-99-1268 and SBY-E710391 is defined as comprising asingle locus conversion. In specific embodiments of the invention, anadded genetic locus confers one or more traits such as, for example,herbicide tolerance, insect resistance, disease resistance, and modifiedcarbohydrate metabolism. In further embodiments, the trait may beconferred by a naturally occurring gene introduced into the genome of aline by backcrossing, a natural or induced mutation, or a transgeneintroduced through genetic transformation techniques into the plant or aprogenitor of any previous generation thereof. When introduced throughtransformation, a genetic locus may comprise one or more genesintegrated at a single chromosomal location.

The invention also concerns the seed of pepper hybrid SV9504PB and/orpepper lines SBR-99-1268 and SBY-E710391. The pepper seed of theinvention may be provided as an essentially homogeneous population ofpepper seed of pepper hybrid SV9504PB and/or pepper lines SBR-99-1268and SBY-E710391. Essentially homogeneous populations of seed aregenerally free from substantial numbers of other seed. Therefore, seedof hybrid SV9504PB and/or pepper lines SBR-99-1268 and SBY-E710391 maybe defined as forming at least about 97% of the total seed, including atleast about 98%, 99% or more of the seed. The seed population may beseparately grown to provide an essentially homogeneous population ofpepper plants designated SV9504PB and/or pepper lines SBR-99-1268 andSBY-E710391.

In yet another aspect of the invention, a tissue culture of regenerablecells of a pepper plant of hybrid SV9504PB and/or pepper linesSBR-99-1268 and SBY-E710391 is provided. The tissue culture willpreferably be capable of regenerating pepper plants capable ofexpressing all of the physiological and morphological characteristics ofthe starting plant, and of regenerating plants having substantially thesame genotype as the starting plant. Examples of some of thephysiological and morphological characteristics of the hybrid SV9504PBand/or pepper lines SBR-99-1268 and SBY-E710391 include those traits setforth in the tables herein. The regenerable cells in such tissuecultures may be derived, for example, from embryos, meristems,cotyledons, pollen, leaves, anthers, roots, root tips, pistils, flowers,seed and stalks. Still further, the present invention provides pepperplants regenerated from a tissue culture of the invention, the plantshaving all the physiological and morphological characteristics of hybridSV9504PB and/or pepper lines SBR-99-1268 and SBY-E710391.

In still yet another aspect of the invention, processes are provided forproducing pepper seeds, plants and fruit, which processes generallycomprise crossing a first parent pepper plant with a second parentpepper plant, wherein at least one of the first or second parent pepperplants is a plant of pepper line SBR-99-1268 or pepper line SBY-E710391.These processes may be further exemplified as processes for preparinghybrid pepper seed or plants, wherein a first pepper plant is crossedwith a second pepper plant of a different, distinct genotype to providea hybrid that has, as one of its parents, a plant of pepper lineSBR-99-1268 or pepper line SBY-E710391. In these processes, crossingwill result in the production of seed. The seed production occursregardless of whether the seed is collected or not.

In one embodiment of the invention, the first step in “crossing”comprises planting seeds of a first and second parent pepper plant,often in proximity so that pollination will occur for example, mediatedby insect vectors. Alternatively, pollen can be transferred manually.Where the plant is self-pollinated, pollination may occur without theneed for direct human intervention other than plant cultivation.

A second step may comprise cultivating or growing the seeds of first andsecond parent pepper plants into plants that bear flowers. A third stepmay comprise preventing self-pollination of the plants, such as byemasculating the flowers (i.e., killing or removing the pollen).

A fourth step for a hybrid cross may comprise cross-pollination betweenthe first and second parent pepper plants. Yet another step comprisesharvesting the seeds from at least one of the parent pepper plants. Theharvested seed can be grown to produce a pepper plant or hybrid pepperplant.

The present invention also provides the pepper seeds and plants producedby a process that comprises crossing a first parent pepper plant with asecond parent pepper plant, wherein at least one of the first or secondparent pepper plants is a plant of pepper hybrid SV9504PB and/or pepperlines SBR-99-1268 and SBY-E710391. In one embodiment of the invention,pepper seed and plants produced by the process are first generation (F₁)hybrid pepper seed and plants produced by crossing a plant in accordancewith the invention with another, distinct plant. The present inventionfurther contemplates plant parts of such an F₁ hybrid pepper plant, andmethods of use thereof. Therefore, certain exemplary embodiments of theinvention provide an F₁ hybrid pepper plant and seed thereof.

In still yet another aspect, the present invention provides a method ofproducing a plant derived from hybrid SV9504PB and/or pepper linesSBR-99-1268 and SBY-E710391, the method comprising the steps of: (a)preparing a progeny plant derived from hybrid SV9504PB and/or pepperlines SBR-99-1268 and SBY-E710391, wherein said preparing comprisescrossing a plant of the hybrid SV9504PB and/or pepper lines SBR-99-1268and SBY-E710391 with a second plant; and (b) crossing the progeny plantwith itself or a second plant to produce a seed of a progeny plant of asubsequent generation. In further embodiments, the method mayadditionally comprise: (c) growing a progeny plant of a subsequentgeneration from said seed of a progeny plant of a subsequent generationand crossing the progeny plant of a subsequent generation with itself ora second plant; and repeating the steps for an additional 3-10generations to produce a plant derived from hybrid SV9504PB and/orpepper lines SBR-99-1268 and SBY-E710391. The plant derived from hybridSV9504PB and/or pepper lines SBR-99-1268 and SBY-E710391 may be aninbred line, and the aforementioned repeated crossing steps may bedefined as comprising sufficient inbreeding to produce the inbred line.In the method, it may be desirable to select particular plants resultingfrom step (c) for continued crossing according to steps (b) and (c). Byselecting plants having one or more desirable traits, a plant derivedfrom hybrid SV9504PB and/or pepper lines SBR-99-1268 and SBY-E710391 isobtained which possesses some of the desirable traits of the line/hybridas well as potentially other selected traits.

In certain embodiments, the present invention provides a method ofproducing food or feed comprising: (a) obtaining a plant of pepperhybrid SV9504PB and/or pepper lines SBR-99-1268 and SBY-E710391, whereinthe plant has been cultivated to maturity, and (b) collecting at leastone pepper from the plant.

In still yet another aspect of the invention, the genetic complement ofpepper hybrid SV9504PB and/or pepper lines SBR-99-1268 and SBY-E710391is provided. The phrase “genetic complement” is used to refer to theaggregate of nucleotide sequences, the expression of which sequencesdefines the phenotype of, in the present case, a pepper plant, or a cellor tissue of that plant. A genetic complement thus represents thegenetic makeup of a cell, tissue or plant, and a hybrid geneticcomplement represents the genetic make up of a hybrid cell, tissue orplant. The invention thus provides pepper plant cells that have agenetic complement in accordance with the pepper plant cells disclosedherein, and seeds and plants containing such cells.

Plant genetic complements may be assessed by genetic marker profiles,and by the expression of phenotypic traits that are characteristic ofthe expression of the genetic complement, e.g., isozyme typing profiles.It is understood that hybrid SV9504PB and/or pepper lines SBR-99-1268and SBY-E710391 could be identified by any of the many well knowntechniques such as, for example, Simple Sequence Length Polymorphisms(SSLPs) (Williams et al., Nucleic Acids Res., 1 8:6531-6535, 1990),Randomly Amplified Polymorphic DNAs (RAPDs), DNA AmplificationFingerprinting (DAF), Sequence Characterized Amplified Regions (SCARs),Arbitrary Primed Polymerase Chain Reaction (AP-PCR), Amplified FragmentLength Polymorphisms (AFLPs) (EP 534 858, specifically incorporatedherein by reference in its entirety), and Single NucleotidePolymorphisms (SNPs) (Wang et al., Science, 280:1077-1082, 1998).

In still yet another aspect, the present invention provides hybridgenetic complements, as represented by pepper plant cells, tissues,plants, and seeds, formed by the combination of a haploid geneticcomplement of a pepper plant of the invention with a haploid geneticcomplement of a second pepper plant, preferably, another, distinctpepper plant. In another aspect, the present invention provides a pepperplant regenerated from a tissue culture that comprises a hybrid geneticcomplement of this invention.

Any embodiment discussed herein with respect to one aspect of theinvention applies to other aspects of the invention as well, unlessspecifically noted.

The term “about” is used to indicate that a value includes the standarddeviation of the mean for the device or method being employed todetermine the value. The use of the term “or” in the claims is used tomean “and/or” unless explicitly indicated to refer to alternatives onlyor the alternatives are mutually exclusive. When used in conjunctionwith the word “comprising” or other open language in the claims, thewords “a” and “an” denote “one or more,” unless specifically notedotherwise. The terms “comprise,” “have” and “include” are open-endedlinking verbs. Any forms or tenses of one or more of these verbs, suchas “comprises,” “comprising,” “has,” “having,” “includes” and“including,” are also open-ended. For example, any method that“comprises,” “has” or “includes” one or more steps is not limited topossessing only those one or more steps and also covers other unlistedsteps. Similarly, any plant that “comprises,” “has” or “includes” one ormore traits is not limited to possessing only those one or more traitsand covers other unlisted traits.

Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention willbecome apparent from the following detailed description. It should beunderstood, however, that the detailed description and any specificexamples provided, while indicating specific embodiments of theinvention, are given by way of illustration only, since various changesand modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention willbecome apparent to those skilled in the art from this detaileddescription.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The invention provides methods and compositions relating to plants,seeds and derivatives of pepper hybrid SV9504PB, pepper line SBR-99-1268and pepper line SBY-E710391.

Sweet Bell Pepper hybrid SV9504PB develops a medium-largeanthocyaninless plant. The plant produces a heavy set of green maturingto red peppers about 75 days after transplanting. The three orfour-lobed fruits exhibit a fairly square shape and weigh approximately225 g. Fruit are approximately 9 cm long by 9 cm wide with length todiameter ratios between 0.9 and 1.1. Hybrid SV9504PB appears highlyresistant to Races 0, 1-5, 7-9 Bacterial leaf spot [Xanthomonascampetris pv. Vesciatoria (Xcv)], and highly resistant to Tobacco MosaicVirus (Strain 0), and resistant/tolerant to Phytophthora capsici. Thehybrid is intended for open field production.

The main use of hybrid SV9504PB would be in areas that could be affectedby Races 0 through 5 and 7-9 Xcv, and areas affected by Phytophthoracapsici. Currently Race 1-5, 7-9 of Xcv limits production in certainareas, particularly in New Jersey and other areas in the East andMid-western USA. Without this resistance it is often impossible toprevent heavy infection under environmental conditions that favor Xcvinfection. This hybrid would also be used in areas affected byPhytophthora capsici, particularly in the Mid-Atlantic and Midwest USAarea. Without this resistance it is often impossible to prevent heavyinfection under environmental conditions that favor Phytophthora capsiciinfection. The closest competing product is the hybrid PS9941819 fromSeminis seed. This variety has a lower level of tolerance toPhytophthora capsici vs. SV9504PB.

A. Origin and Breeding History pf Pepper Hybrid SV9504PB

The parents of hybrid SV9504PB are SBR-99-1268 and SBY-E710391. Theparent lines are uniform and stable, as is a hybrid produced therefrom.A small percentage of variants can occur within commercially acceptablelimits for almost any characteristic during the course of repeatedmultiplication. However no variants are expected.

B. Physiological and Morphological Characteristics of Pepper HybridSV9504PB, Pepper Line SBR-99-1268 and Pepper Line SBY-E710391

In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, there isprovided a plant having the physiological and morphologicalcharacteristics of pepper hybrid SV9504PB and the parent lines thereof.A description of the physiological and morphological characteristics ofsuch plants is presented in Tables 1-3.

TABLE 1 Early Cal CHARACTERISTIC SV9504PB Wonder 1. Species C. annuumannuum 2. Maturity (in region of best adaptability) days fromtransplanting until 56 59 mature green stage days from transplantinguntil 82 88 mature red or yellow stage days from direct seeding until 9994 mature green stage days from direct seeding until 125 123 mature redor yellow stage 3. Plant habit compact compact attitude upright/erect(De upright/ Cayenne, Doux erect tres long des Landes, Piquantd'Algerie) plant height 49.8 cm 45.4 cm plant width 48.8 cm 45.6 cmlength of stem from cotyledon 17.1 cm 13.8 cm to first flower length ofthe third internode 98.3. mm 68 mm (from soil surface) length of stemmedium (Belsir, short Lamuyo) shortened internode (in upper present(Feher, present part) Kalocsai 601, Kalocsai 702) number of internodesone to three one to between the first flower and (Feher) three theshortened internodes (for varieties with shortened internodes only)stem: hairiness of nodes weak (Andevalo, absent or Clovis) very weakheight medium (HRF) medium basal branches none none branch flexibilitywillowy willowy (Cayenne Long Red) stem strength (breakage strong strongresistance) 4. Leaf length of blade long (Cupido, long Dolmy, Encore,Mazurka, Monte) width of blade broad (California broad wonder, Goldencalwonder, Seifor, Solario) width 74.0 mm 76.2 mm length 141.3 mm 144.3mm petiole length 56.6 mm 65.0 mm color dark green dark green color (RHSColor Chart 147A 137A value) intensity of green color dark (Dolmy, darkTinto) mature leaf shape ovate (Balico, ovate Sonar) leaf and stempubescence absent absent undulation of margin weak (Doux tres mediumlong des Landes) blistering weak medium (Pusztagold) profile in crosssection strongly concave moderately (Slavy) concave glossiness weak (Demedium Cayenne, Doux tres long des Landes) 5. Flower peduncle: attitudedrooping erect (Heldor, Lamuyo) flowers per leaf axil 1.3 1 calyx lobes6.2 6.6 petals 6.5 6.9 diameter 24.6 mm 32.6 mm corolla color whitewhite corolla throat markings yellow yellow anther color yellow purplestyle length less than stamen exceeds stamen self-incompatibility absentpresent 6. Fruit group Bell (Yolo Bell (Yolo Wonder L.) Wonder L.) color(before maturity) green (California green wonder, Lamuyo) intensity ofcolor (before dark dark maturity) immature fruit color dark green darkgreen immature fruit color (RHS 144A 144A Color Chart value)attitude/position drooping/pendent erect/ (De Cayenne, upright Lamuyo)length long (Doux medium d'Espagne, Majister) diameter broad (Clovis,broad Lamuyo) ratio length/diameter large (Heldor, small Lamuyo,Magister, Tenno, Vidi) calyx diameter 34.2 mm 33.8 mm fruit length 100.3mm 78.0 mm fruit diameter at calyx 82.5 mm 73.7 mm attachment fruitdiameter at mid-point 82.0 mm 80.9 mm flesh thickness at mid-point 5.1mm 6.5 mm average number of fruits per 8.2 11 plant % large fruits16.30% weight 36.90% range: 200 to 320 weight range: 100 to 210 % mediumfruits 59.30% weight 32.70% range: 100 to 199 weight range: 51 to 99 %small fruits 24.40% weight 30.40% range: 1 to 99 weight range: 1 to 50average fruit weight 142.9 gm 82.4 gm fruit shape (longitudinal square(Delphin, square section) Yolo Wonder) fruit shape (cross section, atquad-rangular angular/ level of placenta) triangular sinuation ofpericarp at basal weak (Donat) weak part sinuation of pericarp weak(Clovis, weak excluding basal part Sonar) texture of surface slightlywrinkled smooth to (Doux tres long very des Landes) slightly wrinkledcolor (at maturity) red (Feher, red Lamuyo) intensity of color (atmaturity) dark dark mature fruit color red red mature fruit color (RHS45A 45A Color Chart value) glossiness strong (Doux very italien, Trophy)strong/ shiny stalk cavity present (Bingor, present Lamuyo) depth ofstalk cavity deep (Osir, medium Quadrato d'Asti rosso, Surpas) pedicellength 49.2 mm 29.2 mm pedicel thickness 8.9 mm 8.1 mm pedicel shapecurved straight pedicel cavity present present depth of pedicel cavity20.8 mm 17.4 mm stalk: length medium (Feher, medium Sonar) stalk:thickness thick (Lamuyo, thick Trophy Palio) base shape cupped cuppedshape of apex very depressed moderately (Kerala, Monte, depressed Osir)shape Bell (Yolo Bell (Yolo Wonder L.) Wonder L.) set concentratedscattered depth of interloculary grooves medium (Clovis, deep Lamuyo,Marconi) % fruits with one locule  0%     0% % fruits with two locules 0%     0% % fruits with three locules 60% 26.70% % fruits with fourlocules 40% 73.30% % fruits with five or more  0%     0% locules averagenumber of locules 3.4 3.7 thickness of flesh thick (Andevalo, thickBingor, Daniel, Topgirl) calyx: aspect non-enveloping/ non-saucer-shaped enveloping/ (Lamuyo, Sonar) saucer- shaped pungency sweetsweet capsaicin in placenta absent (Sonar) absent flavor strong pepperstrong flavor pepper flavor glossiness shiny shiny 7. Seed seed cavitylength 78.2 mm 55.4 mm seed cavity diameter 66.2 mm 62.1 mm placentalength 36.6 mm 28.0 mm number of seeds per fruit 246 132 grams per 1000seeds 5.8 gm 5.1 gm color yellow yellow 8. Anthocyanin coloration of:hypocotyl absent weak (Albaregia, Albena) stem absent absent nodes weakweak intensity of anthocyanin weak (California strong coloration ofnodes wonder, Clio, Doux d'Espagne, Doux tres long des Landes, Goldencalwonder) leaf absent absent pedicel absent absent calyx absent absentanther absent (Danza) present anthocyanin coloration absent (Lamuyo)weak beginning of flowering (1^(st) early (Carre' doux medium flower on2^(nd) flowering node) extra hatif, Cupido, Feher, Flaviano, Lito,Trophy) time of maturity early (Feher, late Lady Bell, Topgirl) *Theseare typical values. Values may vary due to environment. Other valuesthat are substantially equivalent are also within the scope of theinvention.

Early Cal CHARACTERISTIC SBR-99-1268 Wonder 1. Species C. annuum annuum2. Maturity (in region of best adaptability) days from transplantinguntil  75  59 mature green stage days from transplanting until 105  88mature red or yellow stage days from direct seeding until 118  94 maturegreen stage days from direct seeding until 148 123 mature red or yellowstage 3. Plant habit semi-spreading compact attitude upright/erect (Deupright/ Cayenne, Doux erect tres long des Landes, Piquant d'Algerie)plant height 45.6 cm 45.4 cm plant width 46.2 cm 45.6 cm length of stemfrom 19.1 cm 13.8 cm cotyledon to first flower length of the thirdinternode  78.6. mm   68 mm (from soil surface) length of stem medium(Belsir, short Lamuyo) shortened internode (in upper present (Feher,present part) Kalocsai 601, Kalocsai 702) number of internodes one tothree one to three between the first flower and (Feher) the shortenedinternodes (for varieties with shortened internodes only) stem:hairiness of nodes absent or very absent or weak (Arlequin) very weakheight medium (HRF) medium basal branches none none branch flexibilitywillowy (Cayenne willowy Long Red) stem strength (breakage strong strongresistance) 4. Leaf length of blade long (Cupido, long Dolmy, Encore,Mazurka, Monte) width of blade medium broad (Albaregia, Balaton,Danubia, Marconi, Merit) width   68.1 mm  76.2 mm length  150.2 mm 144.3mm petiole length   49.9 mm  65.0 mm color dark green dark green color(RHS Color Chart 147A 137A value) intensity of green color dark (Dolmy,dark Tinto) mature leaf shape lanceolate ovate (Diavolo, Recio) leaf andstem pubescence absent absent undulation of margin medium (Tenor) mediumblistering medium (Merit) medium profile in cross section flat(DeCayenne, moderately Recio) concave glossiness strong (Andevalo,medium Floridor) 5. Flower peduncle: attitude erect (Feher, Red erectChili) flowers per leaf axil  1.2  1 calyx lobes  6.6  6.6 petals  7 6.9 diameter   30.8 mm  32.6 mm corolla color white white corollathroat markings yellow yellow anther color yellow purple style lengthless than stamen exceeds stamen self-incompatibility absent present 6.Fruit group Bell (Yolo Bell (Yolo Wonder L.) Wonder L.) color (beforematurity) green (California green wonder, Lamuyo) intensity of color(before dark dark maturity) immature fruit color dark green dark greenimmature fruit color (RHS 144A 144A Color Chart value) attitude/positiondrooping/pendent erect/upright (De Cayenne, Lamuyo) length long (Douxmedium d'Espagne, Majister) diameter broad (Clovis, broad Lamuyo) ratiolength/diameter large (Heldor, small Lamuyo, Magister, Tenno, Vidi)calyx diameter   39.0 mm  33.8 mm fruit length   95.6 mm  78.0 mm fruitdiameter at calyx   78.5 mm  73.7 mm attachment fruit diameter atmid-point   79.6 mm  80.9 mm flesh thickness at mid-point   5.2 mm  6.5mm average number of fruits per  8.6  11 plant % large fruits 12.30%weight 36.90% range: 200 to 290 weight range: 100 to 210 % medium fruits36.20% weight 32.70% range: 100 to 199 weight range: 51 to 99 % smallfruits 51.50% weight 30.40% range: 1 to 99 weight range: 1 to 50 averagefruit weight 99.6 gm 82.4 gm fruit shape (longitudinal square (Delphin,square section) Yolo Wonder) fruit shape (cross section, at circular(Cherry angular/ level of placenta) Sweet, Doux tres triangular long desLandes) sinuation of pericarp at basal weak (Donat) weak part sinuationof pericarp weak (Clovis, weak excluding basal part Sonar) texture ofsurface slightly wrinkled smooth to (Doux tres long very slightly desLandes) wrinkled color (at maturity) red (Feher, red Lamuyo) intensityof color (at dark dark maturity) mature fruit color red red mature fruitcolor (RHS 44A 45A Color Chart value) glossiness strong (Doux verystrong/ italien, Trophy) shiny stalk cavity present (Bingor, presentLamuyo) depth of stalk cavity deep (Osir, medium Quadrato d'Asti rosso,Surpas) pedicel length   67.4 mm  29.2 mm pedicel thickness     9 mm 8.1 mm pedicel shape curved straight pedicel cavity present presentdepth of pedicel cavity   21.1 mm  17.4 mm stalk: length very longmedium (Farnese, Lipari, Oasis) stalk: thickness thick (Lamuyo, thickTrophy Palio) base shape cupped cupped shape of apex very depressedmoderately (Kerala, Monte, depressed Osir) shape Bell (Yolo Bell (YoloWonder L.) Wonder L.) set concentrated scattered depth of interlocularymedium (Clovis, deep grooves Lamuyo, Marconi) % fruits with one locule 0%    0% % fruits with two locules  0%    0% % fruits with threelocules 27% 26.70% % fruits with four locules 73% 73.30% % fruits withfive or more  0%    0% locules average number of locules  3.7  3.7thickness of flesh medium (Feher, thick Lamuyo) calyx: aspectnon-enveloping/ non- saucer-shaped enveloping/ (Lamuyo, Sonar) saucer-shaped pungency sweet sweet capsaicin in placenta absent (Sonar) absentflavor strong pepper strong flavor pepper flavor glossiness shiny shiny7. Seed seed cavity length   77.6 mm  55.4 mm seed cavity diameter  67.7 mm  62.1 mm placenta length   33.9 mm  28.0 mm number of seedsper fruit  26.6 132 grams per 1000 seeds  5.0 gm  5.1 gm color yellowyellow 8. Anthocyanin coloration of: hypocotyl absent (Albaregia, weakAlbena) stem absent absent nodes weak weak intensity of anthocyanin weak(California strong coloration of nodes wonder, Clio, Doux d'Espagne,Doux tres long des Landes, Golden calwonder) leaf absent absent pedicelabsent absent calyx absent absent anther absent (Danza) presentanthocyanin coloration absent (Lamuyo) weak beginning of flowering(1^(st) late (Daniel, medium flower on 2^(nd) flowering node) Piquantd'Algerie, Zingaro) time of maturity late (Daniel, Doux late d'Espagne*These are typical values. Values may vary due to environment. Othervalues that are substantially equivalent are also within the scope ofthe invention.

Early Cal CHARACTERISTIC SMY-E710391 Wonder 1. Species C. annuum annuum2. Maturity (in region of best adaptability) days from transplantinguntil  67  59 mature green stage days from transplanting until 113  88mature red or yellow stage days from direct seeding until 110  94 maturegreen stage days from direct seeding until 156 123 mature red or yellowstage 3. Plant habit compact compact attitude upright/erect (Deupright/erect Cayenne, Doux tres long des Landes, Piquant d'Algerie)plant height  53.8 cm  45.4 cm plant width  47.4 cm  45.6 cm length ofstem from  14.0 cm  13.8 cm cotyledon to first flower length of thethird internode  87.3 mm   68 mm (from soil surface) length of stemshort (Delphin, short Trophy) shortened internode (in upper absent(California present part) wonder, De Cayenne) length of internode (onmedium (Dolmi, primary side shoots (For Florian, Orias) varietieswithout shortened internodes only). stem: hairiness of nodes absent orvery absent or weak (Arlequin) very weak height tall (Century, mediumOrias) basal branches none none branch flexibility willowy willowy(Cayenne Long Red) stem strength (breakage strong strong resistance) 4.Leaf length of blade long (Cupido, long Dolmy, Encore, Mazurka, Monte)width of blade broad (California broad wonder, Golden calwonder, Seifor,Solario) width  77.4 mm  76.2 mm length 130.6 mm 144.3 mm petiole length 48.2 mm  65.0 mm color dark green dark green color (RHS Color Chart147A 137A value) intensity of green color dark (Dolmy, dark Tinto)mature leaf shape ovate (Balico, ovate Sonar) leaf and stem pubescenceabsent absent undulation of margin medium (Tenor) medium blisteringstrong (Greygo, medium PAZ pallagi) profile in cross section moderatelymoderately concave (Doux concave italien, Favolor) glossiness medium(Alby, medium Eolo) 5. Flower peduncle: attitude semi-drooping erect(Blondy) flowers per leaf axil  1  1 calyx lobes  6.6  6.6 petals  6.7 6.9 diameter  30.0 mm  32.6 mm corolla color white white corolla throatmarkings yellow yellow anther color yellow purple style length same asstamen exceeds stamen self-incompatibility absent present 6. Fruit groupBell (Yolo Bell (Yolo Wonder L.) Wonder L.) color (before maturity)green (California green wonder, Lamuyo) intensity of color (before darkdark maturity) immature fruit color dark green dark green immature fruitcolor (RHS 137A 144A Color Chart value) attitude/positiondrooping/pendent erect/upright (De Cayenne, Lamuyo) length medium(Feher, medium Lamuyo) diameter broad (Clovis, broad Lamuyo) ratiolength/diameter small (Bucano, small Topgirl) calyx diameter  30.9 mm 33.8 mm fruit length  81.0 mm  78.0 mm fruit diameter at calyx  79.5 mm 73.7 mm attachment fruit diameter at mid-point  74.9 mm  80.9 mm fleshthickness at mid-point  6.0 mm  6.5 mm average number of fruits per  7 11 plant % large fruits  4.70% weight 36.90% range: 200 to 280 weightrange: 100 to 210 % medium fruits 39.60% weight 32.70% range: 100 to 199weight range: 51 to 99 % small fruits 55.70% weight 30.40% range: 1 to99 weight range: 1 to 50 average fruit weight 91.4 gm 82.4 gm fruitshape (longitudinal square (Delphin, square section) Yolo Wonder) fruitshape (cross section, at circular (Cherry angular/ level of placenta)Sweet, Doux tres triangular long des Landes) sinuation of pericarp atbasal medium (Duna, weak part Banan) sinuation of pericarp weak (Clovis,weak excluding basal part Sonar) texture of surface slightly wrinkledsmooth to (Doux tres long very slightly des Landes) wrinkled color (atmaturity) orange (Ariane) red intensity of color (at maturity) dark darkmature fruit color orange-yellow red mature fruit color (RHS N25C 45AColor Chart value) glossiness medium/ very strong/ moderate (Carre shinydoux extra hatif, Lamuyo, Sonar) stalk cavity present (Bingor, presentLamuyo) depth of stalk cavity medium medium (Lamuyo, Magister) pedicellength  44.9 mm  29.2 mm pedicel thickness  10.0 mm  8.1 mm pedicelshape curved straight pedicel cavity present present depth of pedicelcavity  17.8 mm  17.4 mm stalk: length long (De medium Cayenne, SierraNevada, Sweet banana) stalk: thickness thick (Lamuyo, thick TrophyPalio) base shape cupped cupped shape of apex very depressed moderately(Kerala, Monte, depressed Osir) shape Bell (Yolo Bell (Yolo Wonder L.)Wonder L.) set concentrated scattered depth of interloculary groovesmedium (Clovis, deep Lamuyo, Marconi) % fruits with one locule  0%    0%% fruits with two locules  0%    0% % fruits with three locules  0%26.70% % fruits with four locules 87% 73.30% % fruits with five or more13%    0% locules average number of locules  4.1  3.7 thickness of fleshmedium (Feher, thick Lamuyo) calyx: aspect non-enveloping/ non-saucer-shaped enveloping/ (Lamuyo, Sonar) saucer- shaped pungency sweetsweet capsaicin in placenta absent (Sonar) absent flavor strong pepperstrong flavor pepper flavor glossiness shiny shiny 7. Seed seed cavitylength  56.9 mm  55.4 mm seed cavity diameter  68.0 mm  62.1 mm placentalength  28.5 mm  28.0 mm number of seeds per fruit  70.2 132 gram per1000 seeds  5.4 gm  5.1 gm color yellow yellow 8. Anthocyanin colorationof: hypocotyl absent weak (Albaregia, Albena) stem absent absent nodesweak weak intensity of anthocyanin very weak strong coloration of nodesleaf absent absent pedicel absent absent calyx absent absent antherabsent (Danza) present anthocyanin coloration absent (Lamuyo) weakbeginning of flowering (1^(st) early (Carre' doux medium flower on2^(nd) flowering node) extra hatif, Cupido, Feher, Flaviano, Lito,Trophy) time of maturity medium late (Lamuyo, Latino, Sonar) *These aretypical values. Values may vary due to environment. Other values thatare substantially equivalent are also within the scope of the invention.

C. Breeding Pepper Plants

One aspect of the current invention concerns methods for producing seedof pepper hybrid SV9504PB involving crossing pepper lines SBR-99-1268and SBY-E710391. Alternatively, in other embodiments of the invention,hybrid SV9504PB, line SBR-99-1268, or line SBY-E710391 may be crossedwith itself or with any second plant. Such methods can be used forpropagation of hybrid SV9504PB and/or the pepper lines SBR-99-1268 andSBY-E710391, or can be used to produce plants that are derived fromhybrid SV9504PB and/or the pepper lines SBR-99-1268 and SBY-E710391.Plants derived from hybrid SV9504PB and/or the pepper lines SBR-99-1268and SBY-E710391 may be used, in certain embodiments, for the developmentof new pepper varieties.

The development of new varieties using one or more starting varieties iswell known in the art. In accordance with the invention, novel varietiesmay be created by crossing hybrid SV9504PB followed by multiplegenerations of breeding according to such well known methods. Newvarieties may be created by crossing with any second plant. In selectingsuch a second plant to cross for the purpose of developing novel lines,it may be desired to choose those plants which either themselves exhibitone or more selected desirable characteristics or which exhibit thedesired characteristic(s) when in hybrid combination. Once initialcrosses have been made, inbreeding and selection take place to producenew varieties. For development of a uniform line, often five or moregenerations of selfing and selection are involved.

Uniform lines of new varieties may also be developed by way ofdouble-haploids. This technique allows the creation of true breedinglines without the need for multiple generations of selfing andselection. In this manner true breeding lines can be produced in aslittle as one generation. Haploid embryos may be produced frommicrospores, pollen, anther cultures, or ovary cultures. The haploidembryos may then be doubled autonomously, or by chemical treatments(e.g. colchicine treatment). Alternatively, haploid embryos may be growninto haploid plants and treated to induce chromosome doubling. In eithercase, fertile homozygous plants are obtained. In accordance with theinvention, any of such techniques may be used in connection with a plantof the invention and progeny thereof to achieve a homozygous line.

Backcrossing can also be used to improve an inbred plant. Backcrossingtransfers a specific desirable trait from one inbred or non-inbredsource to an inbred that lacks that trait. This can be accomplished, forexample, by first crossing a superior inbred (A) (recurrent parent) to adonor inbred (non-recurrent parent), which carries the appropriate locusor loci for the trait in question. The progeny of this cross are thenmated back to the superior recurrent parent (A) followed by selection inthe resultant progeny for the desired trait to be transferred from thenon-recurrent parent. After five or more backcross generations withselection for the desired trait, the progeny have the characteristicbeing transferred, but are like the superior parent for most or almostall other loci. The last backcross generation would be selfed to givepure breeding progeny for the trait being transferred.

The plants of the present invention are particularly well suited for thedevelopment of new lines based on the elite nature of the geneticbackground of the plants. In selecting a second plant to cross withSV9504PB and/or pepper lines SBR-99-1268 and SBY-E710391 for the purposeof developing novel pepper lines, it will typically be preferred tochoose those plants which either themselves exhibit one or more selecteddesirable characteristics or which exhibit the desired characteristic(s)when in hybrid combination. Examples of desirable traits may include, inspecific embodiments, high seed yield, high seed germination, seedlingvigor, high fruit yield, disease tolerance or resistance, andadaptability for soil and climate conditions. Consumer-driven traits,such as a fruit shape, color, texture, and taste are other examples oftraits that may be incorporated into new lines of pepper plantsdeveloped by this invention.

D. Further Embodiments of the Invention

In certain aspects of the invention, plants described herein areprovided modified to include at least a first desired heritable trait.Such plants may, in one embodiment, be developed by a plant breedingtechnique called backcrossing, wherein essentially all of themorphological and physiological characteristics of a variety arerecovered in addition to a genetic locus transferred into the plant viathe backcrossing technique. The term single locus converted plant asused herein refers to those pepper plants which are developed by a plantbreeding technique called backcrossing, wherein essentially all of themorphological and physiological characteristics of a variety arerecovered in addition to the single locus transferred into the varietyvia the backcrossing technique. By essentially all of the morphologicaland physiological characteristics, it is meant that the characteristicsof a plant are recovered that are otherwise present when compared in thesame environment, other than an occasional variant trait that mightarise during backcrossing or direct introduction of a transgene.

Backcrossing methods can be used with the present invention to improveor introduce a characteristic into the present variety. The parentalpepper plant which contributes the locus for the desired characteristicis termed the nonrecurrent or donor parent. This terminology refers tothe fact that the nonrecurrent parent is used one time in the backcrossprotocol and therefore does not recur. The parental pepper plant towhich the locus or loci from the nonrecurrent parent are transferred isknown as the recurrent parent as it is used for several rounds in thebackcrossing protocol.

In a typical backcross protocol, the original variety of interest(recurrent parent) is crossed to a second variety (nonrecurrent parent)that carries the single locus of interest to be transferred. Theresulting progeny from this cross are then crossed again to therecurrent parent and the process is repeated until a pepper plant isobtained wherein essentially all of the morphological and physiologicalcharacteristics of the recurrent parent are recovered in the convertedplant, in addition to the single transferred locus from the nonrecurrentparent.

The selection of a suitable recurrent parent is an important step for asuccessful backcrossing procedure. The goal of a backcross protocol isto alter or substitute a single trait or characteristic in the originalvariety. To accomplish this, a single locus of the recurrent variety ismodified or substituted with the desired locus from the nonrecurrentparent, while retaining essentially all of the rest of the desiredgenetic, and therefore the desired physiological and morphologicalconstitution of the original variety. The choice of the particularnonrecurrent parent will depend on the purpose of the backcross; one ofthe major purposes is to add some commercially desirable trait to theplant. The exact backcrossing protocol will depend on the characteristicor trait being altered and the genetic distance between the recurrentand nonrecurrent parents. Although backcrossing methods are simplifiedwhen the characteristic being transferred is a dominant allele, arecessive allele, or an additive allele (between recessive anddominant), may also be transferred. In this instance it may be necessaryto introduce a test of the progeny to determine if the desiredcharacteristic has been successfully transferred.

In one embodiment, progeny pepper plants of a backcross in which a plantdescribed herein is the recurrent parent comprise (i) the desired traitfrom the non-recurrent parent and (ii) all of the physiological andmorphological characteristics of pepper the recurrent parent asdetermined at the 5% significance level when grown in the sameenvironmental conditions.

New varieties can also be developed from more than two parents. Thetechnique, known as modified backcrossing, uses different recurrentparents during the backcrossing. Modified backcrossing may be used toreplace the original recurrent parent with a variety having certain moredesirable characteristics or multiple parents may be used to obtaindifferent desirable characteristics from each.

With the development of molecular markers associated with particulartraits, it is possible to add additional traits into an established germline, such as represented here, with the end result being substantiallythe same base germplasm with the addition of a new trait or traits.Molecular breeding, as described in Moose and Mumm, 2008 (PlantPhysiology, 147: 969-977), for example, and elsewhere, provides amechanism for integrating single or multiple traits or QTL into an eliteline. This molecular breeding-facilitated movement of a trait or traitsinto an elite line may encompass incorporation of a particular genomicfragment associated with a particular trait of interest into the eliteline by the mechanism of identification of the integrated genomicfragment with the use of flanking or associated marker assays. In theembodiment represented here, one, two, three or four genomic loci, forexample, may be integrated into an elite line via this methodology. Whenthis elite line containing the additional loci is further crossed withanother parental elite line to produce hybrid offspring, it is possibleto then incorporate at least eight separate additional loci into thehybrid. These additional loci may confer, for example, such traits as adisease resistance or a fruit quality trait. In one embodiment, eachlocus may confer a separate trait. In another embodiment, loci may needto be homozygous and exist in each parent line to confer a trait in thehybrid. In yet another embodiment, multiple loci may be combined toconfer a single robust phenotype of a desired trait.

Many single locus traits have been identified that are not regularlyselected for in the development of a new inbred but that can be improvedby backcrossing techniques. Single locus traits may or may not betransgenic; examples of these traits include, but are not limited to,herbicide resistance, resistance to bacterial, fungal, or viral disease,insect resistance, modified fatty acid or carbohydrate metabolism, andaltered nutritional quality. These comprise genes generally inheritedthrough the nucleus.

Direct selection may be applied where the single locus acts as adominant trait. For this selection process, the progeny of the initialcross are assayed for viral resistance and/or the presence of thecorresponding gene prior to the backcrossing. Selection eliminates anyplants that do not have the desired gene and resistance trait, and onlythose plants that have the trait are used in the subsequent backcross.This process is then repeated for all additional backcross generations.

Selection of pepper plants for breeding is not necessarily dependent onthe phenotype of a plant and instead can be based on geneticinvestigations. For example, one can utilize a suitable genetic markerwhich is closely genetically linked to a trait of interest. One of thesemarkers can be used to identify the presence or absence of a trait inthe offspring of a particular cross, and can be used in selection ofprogeny for continued breeding. This technique is commonly referred toas marker assisted selection. Any other type of genetic marker or otherassay which is able to identify the relative presence or absence of atrait of interest in a plant can also be useful for breeding purposes.Procedures for marker assisted selection are well known in the art. Suchmethods will be of particular utility in the case of recessive traitsand variable phenotypes, or where conventional assays may be moreexpensive, time consuming or otherwise disadvantageous. Types of geneticmarkers which could be used in accordance with the invention include,but are not necessarily limited to, Simple Sequence Length Polymorphisms(SSLPs) (Williams et al., Nucleic Acids Res., 1 8:6531-6535, 1990),Randomly Amplified Polymorphic DNAs (RAPDs), DNA AmplificationFingerprinting (DAF), Sequence Characterized Amplified Regions (SCARs),Arbitrary Primed Polymerase Chain Reaction (AP-PCR), Amplified FragmentLength Polymorphisms (AFLPs) (EP 534 858, specifically incorporatedherein by reference in its entirety), and Single NucleotidePolymorphisms (SNPs) (Wang et al., Science, 280:1077-1082, 1998).

E. Performance Characteristics

As described above, hybrid SV9504PB exhibits desirable traits, asconferred by pepper lines SBR-99-1268 and SBY-E710391. The performancecharacteristics of hybrid SV9504PB and pepper lines SBR-99-1268 andSBY-E710391 were the subject of an objective analysis of the performancetraits relative to other varieties. The performance characteristics ofhybrid SV9504PB and comparative varieties are shown below.

Line SBY-E710391 develops a medium-large plant and produces a gradualset of firm, dark green that matures to yellow colored fruit. Themedium-large fruit typically express a length to diameter (LD) ratioslightly greater than one with a preponderance of three-lobed shapes.The line is resistant to the Bacterial leaf spot race 1-2, 4-5, 7-9.,Tobamo virus P0 and a slight tolerance to Phytophthora capsici.

The most similar commercial variety to SBY-E710391 is believed to beEarly California Wonder. The characteristics which best describe thedifferences between the two include, but may not be limited to:

-   -   SBY-E710391 is resistant to BLS 1-2, 4-5, 7-9 while Early        California Wonder is susceptible to BLS 1-2, 4-5, 7-9    -   SBY-E710391 is tolerant of Phytophthora capsici while Early        California Wonder is susceptible to Phytophthora capsici    -   SBY-E710391 is anthocyaninless and has yellow anthers. Early        California is not anthocyaninless and has more purple colored        anthers.

Line SBR-99-1268 develops a medium-small plant and produces aconcentrated set of firm, medium green that mature to red colored fruit.The medium-large fruit typically express a length to diameter (LD) rationear one with a preponderance of four-lobed shapes. The line isresistant to the Bacterial leaf spot race 1-3, 7-8, Tobamo virus P0 anda slight tolerance to Phytophthora capsici.

The most similar commercial variety to SBR-99-1268 is believed to beEarly California Wonder. The characteristics which best describe thedifferences between the two include, but may not be limited to:

-   -   SBR-99-1268 is resistant to BLS 1-3, 7-8 while Early California        Wonder is susceptible to BLS 1-3, 7-8    -   SBR-99-1268 is slightly tolerant of Phytophthora capsici while        Early California Wonder is susceptible to Phytophthora capsici    -   SBR-99-1268 is anthocyaninless and has yellow anthers. Early        California is not anthocyaninless and has more purple colored        anthers.

TABLE 4 Performance data of hybrid SV9504PB and comparative varietiesHighly resistant to Races 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, Strong 7, 8, and 9 Bacterialtolerance to leaf spot (Xanthomonas Phytophthora Variety Sourcecampetris pv. vesciatoria capsici SV9504PB Monsanto Yes Yes PS9941819Monsanto Yes No Archimedes Monsanto No Yes Aristotle X3R Monsanto No No

F. Plants Derived by Genetic Engineering

Many useful traits that can be introduced by backcrossing, as well asdirectly into a plant, are those which are introduced by genetictransformation techniques. Genetic transformation may therefore be usedto insert a selected transgene into a plant of the invention or may,alternatively, be used for the preparation of transgenes which can beintroduced by backcrossing. Methods for the transformation of plantsthat are well known to those of skill in the art and applicable to manycrop species include, but are not limited to, electroporation,microprojectile bombardment, Agrobacterium-mediated transformation anddirect DNA uptake by protoplasts.

To effect transformation by electroporation, one may employ eitherfriable tissues, such as a suspension culture of cells or embryogeniccallus or alternatively one may transform immature embryos or otherorganized tissue directly. In this technique, one would partiallydegrade the cell walls of the chosen cells by exposing them topectin-degrading enzymes (pectolyases) or mechanically wound tissues ina controlled manner.

An efficient method for delivering transforming DNA segments to plantcells is microprojectile bombardment. In this method, particles arecoated with nucleic acids and delivered into cells by a propellingforce. Exemplary particles include those comprised of tungsten,platinum, and preferably, gold. For the bombardment, cells in suspensionare concentrated on filters or solid culture medium. Alternatively,immature embryos or other target cells may be arranged on solid culturemedium. The cells to be bombarded are positioned at an appropriatedistance below the macroprojectile stopping plate.

An illustrative embodiment of a method for delivering DNA into plantcells by acceleration is the Biolistics Particle Delivery System, whichcan be used to propel particles coated with DNA or cells through ascreen, such as a stainless steel or Nytex screen, onto a surfacecovered with target cells. The screen disperses the particles so thatthey are not delivered to the recipient cells in large aggregates.Microprojectile bombardment techniques are widely applicable, and may beused to transform virtually any plant species.

Agrobacterium-mediated transfer is another widely applicable system forintroducing gene loci into plant cells. An advantage of the technique isthat DNA can be introduced into whole plant tissues, thereby bypassingthe need for regeneration of an intact plant from a protoplast. ModernAgrobacterium transformation vectors are capable of replication in E.coli as well as Agrobacterium, allowing for convenient manipulations(Klee et al., Bio-Technology, 3(7):637-642, 1985). Moreover, recenttechnological advances in vectors for Agrobacterium-mediated genetransfer have improved the arrangement of genes and restriction sites inthe vectors to facilitate the construction of vectors capable ofexpressing various polypeptide coding genes. The vectors described haveconvenient multi-linker regions flanked by a promoter and apolyadenylation site for direct expression of inserted polypeptidecoding genes. Additionally, Agrobacterium containing both armed anddisarmed Ti genes can be used for transformation.

In those plant strains where Agrobacterium-mediated transformation isefficient, it is the method of choice because of the facile and definednature of the gene locus transfer. The use of Agrobacterium-mediatedplant integrating vectors to introduce DNA into plant cells is wellknown in the art (Fraley et al., Bio/Technology, 3:629-635, 1985; U.S.Pat. No. 5,563,055).

Transformation of plant protoplasts also can be achieved using methodsbased on calcium phosphate precipitation, polyethylene glycol treatment,electroporation, and combinations of these treatments (see, e.g.,Potrykus et al., Mol. Gen. Genet., 199:183-188, 1985; Omirulleh et al.,Plant Mol. Biol., 21(3):415-428, 1993; Fromm et al., Nature,312:791-793, 1986; Uchimiya et al., Mol. Gen. Genet., 204:204, 1986;Marcotte et al., Nature, 335:454, 1988). Transformation of plants andexpression of foreign genetic elements is exemplified in Choi et al.(Plant Cell Rep., 13: 344-348, 1994), and Ellul et al. (Theor. Appl.Genet., 107:462-469, 2003).

A number of promoters have utility for plant gene expression for anygene of interest including but not limited to selectable markers,scoreable markers, genes for pest tolerance, disease resistance,nutritional enhancements and any other gene of agronomic interest.Examples of constitutive promoters useful for plant gene expressioninclude, but are not limited to, the cauliflower mosaic virus (CaMV)P-35S promoter, which confers constitutive, high-level expression inmost plant tissues (see, e.g., Odel et al., Nature, 313:810, 1985),including in monocots (see, e.g., Dekeyser et al., Plant Cell, 2:591,1990; Terada and Shimamoto, Mol. Gen. Genet., 220:389, 1990); a tandemlyduplicated version of the CaMV 35S promoter, the enhanced 35S promoter(P-e35S); 1 the nopaline synthase promoter (An et al., Plant Physiol.,88:547, 1988); the octopine synthase promoter (Fromm et al., Plant Cell,1:977, 1989); and the figwort mosaic virus (P-FMV) promoter as describedin U.S. Pat. No. 5,378,619 and an enhanced version of the FMV promoter(P-eFMV) where the promoter sequence of P-FMV is duplicated in tandem;the cauliflower mosaic virus 19S promoter; a sugarcane bacilliform viruspromoter; a commelina yellow mottle virus promoter; and other plant DNAvirus promoters known to express in plant cells.

A variety of plant gene promoters that are regulated in response toenvironmental, hormonal, chemical, and/or developmental signals can alsobe used for expression of an operably linked gene in plant cells,including promoters regulated by (1) heat (Callis et al., PlantPhysiol., 88:965, 1988), (2) light (e.g., pea rbcS-3A promoter,Kuhlemeier et al., Plant Cell, 1:471, 1989; maize rbcS promoter,Schaffner and Sheen, Plant Cell, 3:997, 1991; or chlorophyll a/b-bindingprotein promoter, Simpson et al., EMBO J., 4:2723, 1985), (3) hormones,such as abscisic acid (Marcotte et al., Plant Cell, 1:969, 1989), (4)wounding (e.g., wunl, Siebertz et al., Plant Cell, 1:961, 1989); or (5)chemicals such as methyl jasmonate, salicylic acid, or Safener. It mayalso be advantageous to employ organ-specific promoters (e.g., Roshal etal., EMBO J., 6:1155, 1987; Schernthaner et al., EMBO J., 7:1249, 1988;Bustos et al., Plant Cell, 1:839, 1989).

Exemplary nucleic acids which may be introduced to plants of thisinvention include, for example, DNA sequences or genes from anotherspecies, or even genes or sequences which originate with or are presentin the same species, but are incorporated into recipient cells bygenetic engineering methods rather than classical reproduction orbreeding techniques. However, the term “exogenous” is also intended torefer to genes that are not normally present in the cell beingtransformed, or perhaps simply not present in the form, structure, etc.,as found in the transforming DNA segment or gene, or genes which arenormally present and that one desires to express in a manner thatdiffers from the natural expression pattern, e.g., to over-express.Thus, the term “exogenous” gene or DNA is intended to refer to any geneor DNA segment that is introduced into a recipient cell, regardless ofwhether a similar gene may already be present in such a cell. The typeof DNA included in the exogenous DNA can include DNA which is alreadypresent in the plant cell, DNA from another plant, DNA from a differentorganism, or a DNA generated externally, such as a DNA sequencecontaining an antisense message of a gene, or a DNA sequence encoding asynthetic or modified version of a gene.

Many hundreds if not thousands of different genes are known and couldpotentially be introduced into a pepper plant according to theinvention. Non-limiting examples of particular genes and correspondingphenotypes one may choose to introduce into a pepper plant include oneor more genes for insect tolerance, such as a Bacillus thuringiensis(B.t.) gene, pest tolerance such as genes for fungal disease control,herbicide tolerance such as genes conferring glyphosate tolerance, andgenes for quality improvements such as yield, nutritional enhancements,environmental or stress tolerances, or any desirable changes in plantphysiology, growth, development, morphology or plant product(s). Forexample, structural genes would include any gene that confers insecttolerance including but not limited to a Bacillus insect control proteingene as described in WO 99/31248, herein incorporated by reference inits entirety, U.S. Pat. No. 5,689,052, herein incorporated by referencein its entirety, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,500,365 and 5,880,275, hereinincorporated by reference in their entirety. In another embodiment, thestructural gene can confer tolerance to the herbicide glyphosate asconferred by genes including, but not limited to Agrobacterium strainCP4 glyphosate resistant EPSPS gene (aroA:CP4) as described in U.S. Pat.No. 5,633,435, herein incorporated by reference in its entirety, orglyphosate oxidoreductase gene (GOX) as described in U.S. Pat. No.5,463,175, herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.

Alternatively, the DNA coding sequences can affect these phenotypes byencoding a non-translatable RNA molecule that causes the targetedinhibition of expression of an endogenous gene, for example viaantisense- or cosuppression-mediated mechanisms (see, for example, Birdet al., Biotech. Gen. Engin. Rev., 9:207, 1991). The RNA could also be acatalytic RNA molecule (i.e., a ribozyme) engineered to cleave a desiredendogenous mRNA product (see for example, Gibson and Shillito, Mol.Biotech., 7:125, 1997). Thus, any gene which produces a protein or mRNAwhich expresses a phenotype or morphology change of interest is usefulfor the practice of the present invention.

G. Definitions

In the description and tables herein, a number of terms are used. Inorder to provide a clear and consistent understanding of thespecification and claims, the following definitions are provided:

Allele: Any of one or more alternative forms of a gene locus, all ofwhich alleles relate to one trait or characteristic. In a diploid cellor organism, the two alleles of a given gene occupy corresponding locion a pair of homologous chromosomes.

Backcrossing: A process in which a breeder repeatedly crosses hybridprogeny, for example a first generation hybrid (F₁), back to one of theparents of the hybrid progeny. Backcrossing can be used to introduce oneor more single locus conversions from one genetic background intoanother.

Crossing: The mating of two parent plants.

Cross-pollination: Fertilization by the union of two gametes fromdifferent plants.

Diploid: A cell or organism having two sets of chromosomes.

Emasculate: The removal of plant male sex organs or the inactivation ofthe organs with a cytoplasmic or nuclear genetic factor or a chemicalagent conferring male sterility.

Enzymes: Molecules which can act as catalysts in biological reactions.

F₁ Hybrid: The first generation progeny of the cross of two nonisogenicplants.

Genotype: The genetic constitution of a cell or organism.

Haploid: A cell or organism having one set of the two sets ofchromosomes in a diploid.

Linkage: A phenomenon wherein alleles on the same chromosome tend tosegregate together more often than expected by chance if theirtransmission was independent.

Marker: A readily detectable phenotype, preferably inherited incodominant fashion (both alleles at a locus in a diploid heterozygoteare readily detectable), with no environmental variance component, i.e.,heritability of 1.

Phenotype: The detectable characteristics of a cell or organism, whichcharacteristics are the manifestation of gene expression.

Quantitative Trait Loci (QTL): Quantitative trait loci (QTL) refer togenetic loci that control to some degree numerically representabletraits that are usually continuously distributed.

Resistance: As used herein, the terms “resistance” and “tolerance” areused interchangeably to describe plants that show no symptoms to aspecified biotic pest, pathogen, abiotic influence or environmentalcondition. These terms are also used to describe plants showing somesymptoms but that are still able to produce marketable product with anacceptable yield. Some plants that are referred to as resistant ortolerant are only so in the sense that they may still produce a crop,even though the plants are stunted and the yield is reduced.

Regeneration: The development of a plant from tissue culture.

Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) color chart value: The RHS color chartis a standardized reference which allows accurate identification of anycolor. A color's designation on the chart describes its hue, brightnessand saturation. A color is precisely named by the RHS color chart byidentifying the group name, sheet number and letter, e.g., Yellow-OrangeGroup 19A or Red Group 41B.

Self-pollination: The transfer of pollen from the anther to the stigmaof the same plant.

Single Locus Converted (Conversion) Plant: Plants which are developed bya plant breeding technique called backcrossing, wherein essentially allof the morphological and physiological characteristics of a peppervariety are recovered in addition to the characteristics of the singlelocus transferred into the variety via the backcrossing technique and/orby genetic transformation.

Substantially Equivalent: A characteristic that, when compared, does notshow a statistically significant difference (e.g., p=0.05) from themean.

Tissue Culture: A composition comprising isolated cells of the same or adifferent type or a collection of such cells organized into parts of aplant.

Transgene: A genetic locus comprising a sequence which has beenintroduced into the genome of a pepper plant by transformation.

H. Deposit Information

A deposit of pepper hybrid SV9504PB and inbred parent lines SBR-99-1268and SBY-E710391, disclosed above and recited in the claims, has beenmade with the American Type Culture Collection (ATCC), 10801 UniversityBlvd., Manassas, Va. 20110-2209. The date of deposit was Apr. 30, 2014.The accession numbers for those deposited seeds of pepper hybridSV9504PB and inbred parent lines SBR-99-1268 and SBY-E710391 are ATCCAccession No. PTA-121190, ATCC Accession No. PTA-121191, and ATCCAccession No. PTA-121192, respectively. Upon issuance of a patent, allrestrictions upon the deposits will be removed, and the deposits areintended to meet all of the requirements of 37 C.F.R. §1.801-1.809. Thedeposits will be maintained in the depository for a period of 30 years,or 5 years after the last request, or for the effective life of thepatent, whichever is longer, and will be replaced if necessary duringthat period.

Although the foregoing invention has been described in some detail byway of illustration and example for purposes of clarity andunderstanding, it will be obvious that certain changes and modificationsmay be practiced within the scope of the invention, as limited only bythe scope of the appended claims.

All references cited herein are hereby expressly incorporated herein byreference.

What is claimed is:
 1. A pepper plant comprising at least a first set ofthe chromosomes of pepper line SBR-99-1268 or pepper line SBY-E710391, asample of seed of said lines having been deposited under ATCC AccessionNumber PTA-121191 and ATCC Accession Number PTA-121192, respectively. 2.A pepper seed comprising at least a first set of the chromosomes ofpepper line SBR-99-1268 or pepper line SBY-E710391, a sample of seed ofsaid lines having been deposited under ATCC Accession Number PTA-121191and ATCC Accession Number PTA-121192, respectively.
 3. The plant ofclaim 1, which is an inbred.
 4. The plant of claim 1, which is a hybrid.5. The seed of claim 2, which is an inbred.
 6. The seed of claim 2,which is a hybrid.
 7. The plant of claim 4, wherein the hybrid plant ispepper hybrid SV9504PB, a sample of seed of said hybrid SV9504PB havingbeen deposited under ATCC Accession Number PTA-121190.
 8. The seed ofclaim 6, defined as a seed of pepper hybrid SV9504PB, a sample of seedof said hybrid SV9504PB having been deposited under ATCC AccessionNumber PTA-121190.
 9. The seed of claim 2, defined as a seed of lineSBR-99-1268 or line SBY-E710391.
 10. A plant part of the plant ofclaim
 1. 11. The plant part of claim 10, further defined as a leaf, anovule, pollen, a fruit, or a cell.
 12. A pepper plant having all thephysiological and morphological characteristics of the pepper plant ofclaim
 7. 13. A tissue culture of regenerable cells of the plant ofclaim
 1. 14. The tissue culture according to claim 13, comprising cellsor protoplasts from a plant part selected from the group consisting ofmeristems, cotyledons, pollen, leaves, anthers, roots, root tips,pistil, flower, and stalks.
 15. A pepper plant regenerated from thetissue culture of claim 13, wherein said plant otherwise comprises allof the morphological and physiological characteristics of the pepperplant comprising at least a first set of the chromosomes of pepper lineSBR-99-1268 or pepper line SBY-E710391, a sample of seed of said lineshaving been deposited under ATCC Accession Number PTA-121191 and ATCCAccession Number PTA-121192, respectively.
 16. A method of vegetativelypropagating the pepper plant of claim 1 comprising the steps of: (a)collecting tissue capable of being propagated from the plant accordingto claim 1; (b) cultivating said tissue to obtain proliferated shoots;and (c) rooting said proliferated shoots to obtain rooted plantlets. 17.The method of claim 16, further comprising growing at least a firstpepper plant from said rooted plantlets.
 18. A method of introducing adesired trait into a pepper line comprising: (a) utilizing as arecurrent parent a plant of either pepper line SBR-99-1268 or pepperline SBY-E710391, by crossing a plant of pepper line SBR-99-1268 orpepper line SBY-E710391 with a second donor pepper plant that comprisesa desired trait to produce F1 progeny, a sample of seed of said lineshaving been deposited under ATCC Accession Number PTA-121191, and ATCCAccession Number PTA-121192, respectively; (b) selecting an F1 progenythat comprises the desired trait; (c) backcrossing the selected F1progeny with a plant of the same pepper line used as the recurrentparent in step (a), to produce backcross progeny; (d) selectingbackcross progeny comprising the desired trait and the physiological andmorphological characteristics of the recurrent parent pepper line usedin step (a); and (e) repeating steps (c) and (d) three or more times toproduce selected fourth or higher backcross progeny that comprise thedesired trait, and otherwise comprise essentially all of themorphological and physiological characteristics of the recurrent parentpepper line used in step (a).
 19. A pepper plant produced by the methodof claim
 18. 20. A method of producing a pepper plant comprising anadded trait, the method comprising introducing a transgene conferringthe trait into a plant of pepper hybrid SV9504PB, pepper lineSBR-99-1268 or pepper line SBY-E710391, a sample of seed of said hybridand lines having been deposited under ATCC Accession Number PTA-121190,ATCC Accession Number PTA-121191, and ATCC Accession Number PTA-121192,respectively.
 21. A pepper plant produced by the method of claim
 20. 22.A pepper plant comprising at least a first set of the chromosomes ofpepper line SBR-99-1268 or pepper line SBY-E710391, a sample of seed ofsaid lines having been deposited under ATCC Accession Number PTA-121191and ATCC Accession Number PTA-121192, respectively, further comprising atransgene.
 23. The plant of claim 22, wherein the transgene confers atrait selected from the group consisting of male sterility, herbicidetolerance, insect resistance, pest resistance, disease resistance,modified fatty acid metabolism, environmental stress tolerance, modifiedcarbohydrate metabolism and modified protein metabolism.
 24. A pepperplant comprising at least a first set of the chromosomes of pepper lineSBR-99-1268 or pepper line SBY-E710391, a sample of seed of said lineshaving been deposited under ATCC Accession Number PTA-121191 and ATCCAccession Number PTA-121192, respectively, further comprising a singlelocus conversion.
 25. The plant of claim 24, wherein the single locusconversion confers a trait selected from the group consisting of malesterility, herbicide tolerance, insect resistance, pest resistance,disease resistance, modified fatty acid metabolism, environmental stresstolerance, modified carbohydrate metabolism and modified proteinmetabolism.
 26. A method for producing a seed of a pepper plant derivedfrom at least one of pepper hybrid SV9504PB, pepper line SBR-99-1268 orpepper line SBY-E710391 comprising the steps of: (a) crossing a pepperplant of hybrid SV9504PB, line SBR-99-1268 or line SBY-E710391 withitself or a second pepper plant; a sample of seed of said hybrid andlines having been deposited under ATCC Accession Number PTA-121190, ATCCAccession Number PTA-121191, and ATCC Accession Number PTA-121192,respectively; and (b) allowing seed of a hybrid SV9504PB, lineSBR-99-1268 or line SBY-E710391-derived pepper plant to form.
 27. Amethod of producing a seed of a hybrid SV9504PB, line SBR-99-1268 orline SBY-E710391-derived pepper plant comprising the steps of: (a)producing a hybrid SV9504PB, line SBR-99-1268 or lineSBY-E710391-derived pepper plant by growing into a plant a seedresulting from crossing a pepper plant of hybrid SV9504PB, lineSBR-99-1268 or line SBY-E710391 with itself or a second pepper plant, asample of seed of said hybrid and lines having been deposited under ATCCAccession Number PTA-121190, ATCC Accession Number PTA-121191, and ATCCAccession Number PTA-121192, respectively; and (b) crossing the hybridSV9504PB, line SBR-99-1268 or line SBY-E710391-derived pepper plant withitself or a different pepper plant to obtain a seed of a further hybridSV9504PB, line SBR-99-1268 or line SBY-E710391-derived pepper plant. 28.The method of claim 27, further comprising repeating said producing andcrossing steps of (a) and (b) using a seed from said step (b) forgrowing a plant according to step (a) for at least one generation toproduce a seed of an additional hybrid SV9504PB, line SBR-99-1268 orline SBY-E710391-derived pepper plant.
 29. A plant part of the plant ofclaim
 7. 30. The plant part of claim 29, further defined as a leaf, aflower, a fruit, an ovule, pollen, or a cell.
 31. A method of producinga pepper seed comprising crossing the plant of claim 1 with itself or asecond pepper plant and allowing seed to form.
 32. A method of producinga pepper fruit comprising: (a) obtaining the plant according to claim 1,wherein the plant has been cultivated to maturity; and (b) collecting apepper from the plant.